Haverford community rallies together to raise funds for Trent Stetler Scholarship

HAVERFORD >> - The Trent Stetler Lacrosse Play Day, a community day of lacrosse for mental health awareness, will take place on April 29 at the A. G. Cornog Field at Haverford High School, 200 Mill Road, Havertown,.

The day is a celebration of the life of Trent Stetler and his dedication to the sport of lacrosse. It is a fundraiser to support a scholarship in Trent’s memory awarded annually to a Haverford High School varsity lacrosse player and to educate the Haverford Township community about mental illness.

Trent was a varsity lacrosse player all four years at Haverford where he played mid-field. During his senior year he was team captain and was named team MVP. Trent grew up in Havertown, was a 2012 graduate of Haverford High School, and attended Elon University. Trent took his life in January 2015 at the age of 20 years old.

The event will begin at 10 a.m., when the Haverford Blaze youth boys lacrosse teams will play until 2 pm, followed by the Haverford High School boys junior varsity lacrosse game at 3pm and the Haverford High School boys varsity game at 4:15 pm. Both the JV and varsity teams will play Unionville High School.

Throughout the day, wrist bands and t-shirts will be sold to raise funds to support the Trent Stetler Memorial Fund. After the varsity game, attendees are encouraged to come back or stay after to enjoy a tailgate dinner at the Dos Gringos Food Truck which will offer 10% of the proceeds to support the cause. Additionally, the community can support the effort with cash donations at the event, along with contributions to the Go Fund Me site: “Trent Stetler Lacrosse Play Day.” More information about the day and the link to contribute can be found at http:// www.TrentStetlerPlayDay.com.

“It’s important we keep Trent’s memory alive by raising funds to award a scholarship annually to a varsity lacrosse player at Haverford,” said Denetter Stetler. mother of Trent. “This will be the third year we award the scholarship and it will go to the player who is constantly supportive of his teammates and whose enthusiasm for the game keeps the other players going, just as Trent did,” Denette added.

“In addition to the scholarship, we want to raise awareness about mental health issues. It’s important that we break down the stigma and learn to communicate with our children when it comes to depression and anxiety. We may know how to talk with our children about sex, drugs and alcohol, but it’s also important to be open to discussing and recognizing mental issues. We want to raise awareness specifically within Haverford Township because we care about this community. It’s been our home for over 20 years and Trent had a wonderful childhood and early adulthood here,” said Denette.

Funds raised will support educational programs for the members of the Havertown community including speaking engagements provided by Minding Your Mind, a local nonprofit organization with a mission to provide mental health education to adolescents, teens and young adults, their parents, teachers and school administrators. Plans for informal seminars within the school district and at community venues are underway.